As an avid e-book reader, I own both the Sony Reader (7000) and the Kindle II. I purchased an earlier version of the Reader after seeing it in a bookstore and when the newer version came out with a backlight, I jumped at it. Shortly thereafter, I saw the Kindle and just fell in love with it! The differences I've noted are outlined below.
The 7000 Reader and the Kindle are about the same size and weight, although the Kindle is somewhat easier to hold for some reason.
The devices utilize different ink technology and so there is a definite difference between the "pages" as they appear in each format. I find the Kindle to be easier on the eyes.
The Reader has a backlight so you can read in the dark without additional lighting, although I found the pages to be somewhat harsh under the light. When my husband is asleep, I use a head lamp to read my Kindle in bed - no biggie.
The Kindle will "read" to you if the publisher allows it; no option for this on the Reader.
Memory on the Reader can be expanded through insertion of a memory card; the Kindle memory is fixed (although it will still hold about 1,500 books!)
I found most of the books that I was interested in were available from Sony and Amazon; if one had a particular book, the other usually had it as well. Amazon's cost for most books is $9.99 per book, although some books are as much as $15 when they are first published (but drop to $9.99 within a couple of weeks). Sony was more expensive at about $11 per book, but to be more competitive, they have recently dropped prices to $9.99 also. Both sites offer free books periodically.
For the Reader, books are ordered from the Sony site on a Windows computer (although Mac support is coming this fall, I believe); books are downloaded from the computer to the device via USA. The Kindle utilizes free wireless technology so you can shop for books right on the device and books are delivered wirelessly (via Sprint); the delivery cost is included in the cost of the book. I love being able to download my latest "must have" book immediately, but fiscal responsibility is a real necessity; Amazon makes it very easy to quickly spend $100!
Books you buy for the Kindle can only be read on the Kindle and iPhone/iPodTouch and although you can read books from other sources on the Kindle, it's definitely easier to get the books from Amazon. The Reader is open-source and can handle several different formats so there is a wide choice of sources available. PDF files can be read on both devices.
Books are easier to organize on the Reader; there are no organization choices on the Kindle. You can archive your Reader books on your computer; Amazon archives your Kindle books (guess everyone's heard about Amazon pulling George Orwell from Kindle but they admitted their mistake and said it won't happen again).
All told, the main reason I love the Kindle is that it makes reading so easy; when I want a particular book, I download it; when I want to read it, all I have to do is pick up the device (I leave mine on all the time and still get several days on a battery charge). In this busy world, I find I'm more likely to indulge myself if it's easy to do so!
Own both; Prefer the Kindle
By lgshawWed, 08/12/2009 - 23:00
As an avid e-book reader, I own both the Sony Reader (7000) and the Kindle II. I purchased an earlier version of the Reader after seeing it in a bookstore and when the newer version came out with a backlight, I jumped at it. Shortly thereafter, I saw the Kindle and just fell in love with it! The differences I've noted are outlined below.
The 7000 Reader and the Kindle are about the same size and weight, although the Kindle is somewhat easier to hold for some reason.
The devices utilize different ink technology and so there is a definite difference between the "pages" as they appear in each format. I find the Kindle to be easier on the eyes.
The Reader has a backlight so you can read in the dark without additional lighting, although I found the pages to be somewhat harsh under the light. When my husband is asleep, I use a head lamp to read my Kindle in bed - no biggie.
The Kindle will "read" to you if the publisher allows it; no option for this on the Reader.
Memory on the Reader can be expanded through insertion of a memory card; the Kindle memory is fixed (although it will still hold about 1,500 books!)
I found most of the books that I was interested in were available from Sony and Amazon; if one had a particular book, the other usually had it as well. Amazon's cost for most books is $9.99 per book, although some books are as much as $15 when they are first published (but drop to $9.99 within a couple of weeks). Sony was more expensive at about $11 per book, but to be more competitive, they have recently dropped prices to $9.99 also. Both sites offer free books periodically.
For the Reader, books are ordered from the Sony site on a Windows computer (although Mac support is coming this fall, I believe); books are downloaded from the computer to the device via USA. The Kindle utilizes free wireless technology so you can shop for books right on the device and books are delivered wirelessly (via Sprint); the delivery cost is included in the cost of the book. I love being able to download my latest "must have" book immediately, but fiscal responsibility is a real necessity; Amazon makes it very easy to quickly spend $100!
Books you buy for the Kindle can only be read on the Kindle and iPhone/iPodTouch and although you can read books from other sources on the Kindle, it's definitely easier to get the books from Amazon. The Reader is open-source and can handle several different formats so there is a wide choice of sources available. PDF files can be read on both devices.
Books are easier to organize on the Reader; there are no organization choices on the Kindle. You can archive your Reader books on your computer; Amazon archives your Kindle books (guess everyone's heard about Amazon pulling George Orwell from Kindle but they admitted their mistake and said it won't happen again).
All told, the main reason I love the Kindle is that it makes reading so easy; when I want a particular book, I download it; when I want to read it, all I have to do is pick up the device (I leave mine on all the time and still get several days on a battery charge). In this busy world, I find I'm more likely to indulge myself if it's easy to do so!